Electrical push button switch assembly



g- 4, 1954 F. SKRBINA 3,143,625

ELECTRICAL PUSH BUTTON SWITCH ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 8, 1960 ///lllir,l

FRANK SKRBINA INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,143,625 ELECTRICAL PUSH BUTTON SWITCH ASSEMBLY Frank Skrbina, Dearborn, Mich., assigior to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 68,033 1 Claim. (Cl. 200-159) This invention relates to an electrical switch assembly and more particularly to a normally closed switch assembly, often employed to operate courtesy lights in automotive vehicles, in which the terminals for the electrical leads to the switch are employed as integral switch components.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a pair of leads to the switch are each provided with a conducting terminal. The conducting terminals are detachably sesured to the switch body and preferably extend through slots in the body so that they may be contacted by an electrically conductive means also positioned within the body. This results in a switch assembly that employs fewer parts than conventional switches and that may be more readily assembled by mass production techniques, such as those employed in the automotive industry.

An object of the invention is the provision of a switch assembly in which the terminals of electrical leads are employed as switch components.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a switch assembly in which the terminals of electrical leads are also employed as terminals of the switch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch assembly that may be readily and advantageously assembled by mass production techniques.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple and reliable normally closed switch which may be conveniently employed to switch courtesy lights in an automotive vehicle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and reliable normally closed switch that may be mounted in a door pillar of an automotive vehicle and that will operate courtesy lights in the vehicle when the door is opened.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent as the specification is considered in connection with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the switch assembly of the present invention taken along the lines 1-1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the switch assembly with the end wall and spring removed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the switch assembly taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the plunger and electrical contactor of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a terminal of the present invention, and,

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the body portion of the switch assembly.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views thereof, there is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 the switch assembly of the present invention that includes a body 11 that may be constructed of a suitable nonconducting plastic material and may be of cylindrical configuration. .The switch body 11 may be mounted on a plate 12 which, in automotive applications, may be one of the door pillars. The nonconducting body 11 has a cavity 13 that forms with an end wall 14 a chamber generally designated by the numeral 15. The end wall 14 may be aflixed to the bodyll by means of any suitable adhesive. A plunger 16 is reciprocably mounted within a bore 17 in the body 11 and extends through the bore into the chamber 15.

3,143,625 Patented Aug. 4., 1964 A pair of electrical leads 21 and 22 that are adapted to be connected to external circuitry, for example, to the courtesy lights and the power supply of an automotive vehicle, are suitably aflixed, for example, by welding to electrical conductive terminals 23 and 24 respectively.

The portion of the body 11 positioned adjacent the plate 12 has a pair of opposed grooves 26 and 27 positioned therein. These grooves preferably are formed in a direction parallel to the axes of the body 11 and the plunger 16. The end walls of each of the grooves has a slot 31 positioned therein so that the grooves are in communication with the chamber 15. As can best be seen by an inspection of FIGS. 1 and 5, each of the terminals 23 and 24 includes a bent over portion 32 that engages the end wall of the groove and a main body portion 33 that extends through the slot 31 into the chamber 15. Each of the main body portions 33 is provided with a detent 34 that engages the inner wall of the chamber 15 to detachably secure the terminals 23 and 24 within the chamber 15.

The plunger 16 includes a reduced end portion 41 that has a diametral slot 42 positioned therein. An electrical conducting means or contactor 43 is positioned within this groove. This contactor may be made of a conductive spring material, such as beryllium-copper, and includes a pair of bent over end portions 44 and 45. As can best be seen by reference to FIG. 1, a spring means 46, preferably in the form of a helical spring, is positioned within the chamber 15 and has one end engaging the end Wall 14 and is positioned thereon by means of a boss 47 The other end of the spring 45 is positioned around the reduced portion 41 of the plunger 16 and engages the end of the plunger and the electrical conducting means or contactor 43.

The spring means 46 biases the plunger 16 leftwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, so that the electrical conducting means or contactor 43 engages and makes electrical contact with the main body portions 33 of the terminals 23 and 24 thus closing a circuit which may be connected to leads 21 and 22. For the purposes of clarity the switch assembly has been shown in FIG. 1 just prior to closing, and it is to be understood that the spring 46 has suflicient force to move the electrical conducting means or contactor 43 into engagement with the electrical terminals 23 and 24. When the plunger moves rightwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, due to a force being applied thereto, then the contactor or conducting means 43 comes out of electrical contact with the main body portions 33 of the terminals 23 and 24 to open the circuit that may be connected to the leads 21 and 22.

The body 11 has an inner groove 51 positioned therein to receive a key 52 on the plunger 16. This prevents relative rotation between the body and the plunger and keeps the electrical contactor 43 properly positioned with respect to the terminals 23 and 24.

It can be appreciated that the electrical terminals 23 and 24 for the leads 21 and 22 form an integral part of the switch assembly and are detachably secured within the switch body 11. It can also be appreciated that during assembly operations the whole switch may be assembled with the exception of the terminals 23 and 24 and that these terminals may be then inserted through the slots 31 so that they are positioned for engagement with the conducting means or contactor 43.

The switch assembly of the present invention is especially adapted to be mounted on a door pillar of an automotive vehicle to operate courtesy lights within the vehicle. When the door is closed the plunger 16 is forced rightwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, to open the circuit to the courtesy lights. When the door is opened the plunger 16 is permitted to move leftwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1, by means of the force of the spring 45 so that the circuit to the courtesy lights is closed through the terminals 23 and 24 and conducting means or contactor 43.

In automotive applications, the switch may be assembled and the wiring for the automobile, including leads 21 and 22 and terminals 23 and 24, may be assembled in a harness type arrangement and then during final assembly the tenninals 23 and 24 need only be forced through the slots 31.

Thus the present invention purovides a simple and reliable mechanism in which the terminals for the electrical leads to the switch are also employed as switch terminals.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

' In a switch assembly, a switch body constructed of a nonconducting material and having a cylindrical side wall having an outer periphery forming a substantially continuous cylinder of uniform diameter, said cylindrical side wall forming a first cylindrical chamber and a second cylindrical chamber with the diameter of said second cylindrical chamber being greater than the diameter of said first cylindrical chamber whereby the thickness of said cylindrical side wall is greater at said first chamber than at said second chamber, a plunger extending through said first cylindrical chamber and into said second cylindrical chamber, a pair of slots positioned in the side wall at said first chamber and extending parallel to the axis of said cylindrical side wall and having a depth less than the thickness of the side wall at said first chamber but slots, a second electrical lead, a second conducting terminal connected to said second electrical lead and slidably engaging the other of said slots, said second conducting terminal having a resilient abutment which engages said side wall at the juncture of said first and said second chambers when positioned in the other of said slots, a resilient electrical contactor carried by said plunger and positioned within said second chamber, and spring means positioned within said chamber and engaging said plunger for urging said resilient electrical contactor into slidable engagement with and betwen said first and said second conducting terminals thereby compressing said resilient electrical contactor.

References Cited in. the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,427,015 Miller Sept. 9, 1947 2,431,366 Buell Nov. 25, 1947 2,562,420 Furnas July 31, 1951 2,712,047 Herterick June 28, 1955 2,822,450 Goudy et al. Feb. 4, 1958 2,846,528 Burrell Aug. 5, 1958 2,899,511 Fraser Aug. 11, 1959 2,919,326 Greenblott et al. Dec. 29, 1959 

